


Lost Chances

by PhantomGrimalkin



Series: Mark of Fate [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Gen, Platonic Relationships, Platonic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-22
Updated: 2014-11-22
Packaged: 2018-02-26 13:43:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2654147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomGrimalkin/pseuds/PhantomGrimalkin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Red Room took many things from Natasha, including her soul-spot. She accepted this loss, but found new family within SHIELD.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lost Chances

It was possible to remove a soul spot. It was much easier to cover them up with tattoos, but it was possible to remove them. It was rarely done, there was a deep taboo against it and most people simply didn't want to give away their chance at happiness. It was becoming more common, as more people were willing to admit when a mark-based relationship failed. Sometimes, being soulmates wasn't enough. It also wasn't uncommon for someone to want a mark removed after their soulmate died.

The Red Room removed the soul spots of their operatives. This was a common practice for all spies, it was simply too identifying a mark. Even if the mark was on a very private part, the risk was there and it was simply safer to remove it. It wasn't uncommon for spies to bare fake marks, occasionally even impersonating someone's soulmate.

The biggest difference between most spies and those in the Red Room program was that most spies made the choice as adults. Most in the Red Room were children, too young to even understand the meaning or remember what their mark was. The brainwashing didn't help with remembering them, either.

It was one of the things that had been most painful when she had realized the extent of what her training had actually entailed. It felt as though her only chance at happiness had been stolen from her.

Somehow, the memory of what it was had stuck with Natasha. She wasn't entirely sure where the mark had been. Sometimes, she thought it was on her wrist, like a bracelet. Others she would swear it had been over her heart. She tried not to think about it, but she couldn't help it.

It had been a delicate, deep brown feather. The size was another thing that she wasn't certain of. It didn't help that she was a child, everything seems so much larger to children.

By the time SHIELD had sent Hawkeye to kill her, she had made peace with this loss and given up on love. Sex had long been a tool for getting what she needed.

Clint Barton turned her world on its head in many ways. He spared her life, brought her into an organization that sent her on a good life, and became her partner. She gradually began to trust, which was the most terrifying experience of her life. Over time, that fear ebbed and she embraced the feeling.

After a few years in SHIELD, Natasha finally saw Clint's soul spot.

In hindsight, it seemed odd that she had managed to never see Clint naked. She was certain she had, in fact, but somehow must have overlooked his soul spot. He knew about her lack of one, knew that it had been stolen to her, yet somehow his had never come up.

They were together on a mission, as they often were. He got out of the shower and was toweling off, one towel wrapped around his waist, and she noticed it. There, on his right shoulder blade, was the same brown feather that had been burned into her memory.

All thought left her mind, she felt frozen in place. When Clint finally turned around and noticed her state, he immediately grabbed his bow and gave her the signal to ask if they were in danger. Natasha pulled herself out of her reverie and shook her head.

“I... I just saw your soul spot,” she whispered, not able to meet his eyes.

Clint looked over his shoulder then back at her with a frown. “It's the same as always, yeah?”

“I never noticed it before,” she said softly, “It's the one I remember having.”

Clint sat down on the bed and put a hand over his mouth. She walked over and sat next to him. Neither said anything, the comforting presence was enough. They sat like that for an hour or so before Natasha finally broke the silence.

“I still have no interest in having sex with you.”

Clint looked over at her and smirked, “Yeah, neither do I.”

“Shouldn't we?” Natasha asked with a frown, “After all, we are...”

“What part of our life went the way it 'should' have, exactly?” Clint asked, placing a kiss on her cheek, “As far as I'm concerned, nothing has changed. I already considered you my unofficial soulmate- now it's official.”

Natasha blushed, a rare occurrence that Clint always savored. She leaned into him and smiled. “I never thought about it before, but you're absolutely right.


End file.
